Project Results

Here is the latest news coverage on the termite mound installation by WSBTV Atlanta (Channel 2)!

About This Project

Gorillas, like people, are incredibly social animals. I am studying how a clumped and social-foraging resource influences gorilla relationships. I hypothesize that a clumped resource (an artificial termite mound) will affect space and social behavior of all male bachelor groups and one-male multi-female family groups differently. In this study we will measure spatial positions and behavioral interactions of the gorillas to test how the artificial termite mound influences these groups.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Primates display remarkable diversity in how their groups are organized, and many primatologists have sought (and still seek) explanations for this diversity (Isbell & Young, 2002). The environment in which a group of primates chooses to live can directly influence how they individuals within a group interact (or do not) (Eisenberg et al., 1972; van Schaik & van Hooff, 1983). Although group living comes with numerous benefits (protection, mating opportunities), it also facilitates within-group competition for food, which is determined, in part, by food distribution. Clumped, high-value foods incite more intense competition than more distributed foods, and access to these food items is determined by factors such as rank, proximity, and kin.

What is the significance of this project?

Western lowland gorillas are more frugivorous and live in smaller groups compared to mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) (Doran-Sheehy et al., 2004). Western lowland gorillas are also not as well-studied as mountain gorillas. With limited behavioral interactions between individuals, there is little information about Western lowland gorillas using social spacing, perhaps a better indicator of gorilla relationships to infer social organization of groups (Martin & Bateson, 2007). My study will be one of few to experimentally test Western lowland gorilla socioecology and social relationships as a function of space. This is important, as sociality is key component of their lifestyle and well-being both in their dwindling natural habitat and zoological environments.

What are the goals of the project?

This study aims to examine the socioecology of 2 groups of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) housed at Zoo Atlanta. I will test how a high-quality, patchy, socially-accessible food resource (in the form of an artificial termite mound) affects space and social behavior, and whether two gorilla-specific social systems – all male bachelor groups and one-male multi-female family groups – behave differently when exposed to this resource. Data collectors will record both spatial (X/Y coordinate) positions and behavioral interactions of all gorillas in both groups. I will look at variables such as inter-individual distance, dominance rank of individual, and to the termite mound on days when it is filled versus non-filled days.